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With the season finale right around the corner, you can bet that Person of Interest is wasting no time in wrapping things up. This week’s jam-packed entry opens with flashbacks to events involving Elias, Dominic, and Control.

Shelly Spencer (Erin Dilly), a mother in a minivan, loses access to her brakes, leading her to crash. Dazed, her body is swapped out for another by a team led by Control. As they drive away, the van explodes.

Reese, having barely survived a close call with Gil, meets Fusco at a crime scene involving yet another Brotherhood member. As Reese and Finch discuss the fact that the Machine failed to generate the victim’s number, a nearby payphone rings and spits out two numbers, belonging to Dominic and Elias.

Sending Finch a picture of a mysterious canister found at the crime scene, Reese and Fusco head to a Brotherhood transport location. Watching Dominic and Link argue over retaliating for the dead member, Finch traces the canister to a mail network that no longer exists, with hubs located beneath a bank recently acquired by Elias. Before Finch can continue, Shaw’s smartphone begins to ring. Root picks up to hear Shaw’s voice asking for help, before abruptly cutting off.

Control interrogates Shelly about Samaritan. Also in her grasp is Tyler, whom she describes as “one of my best agents.” Shelly denies knowing him, which prompts Control to end his life, stating that Shelly, like Tyler, is a Samaritan mole.

Finch and Root try to make sense of Shaw’s phone call. Root, her convictions about Shaw being alive renewed, prepares to continue her search, while Finch suspects it may all be a trap. They both head to the rooftop, where Root plays a game of chicken with the Machine so it will help her find Shaw. Thankfully, the Machine swerves. Swiping an ambulance, Finch and Root arrive at a state institute.

Reese and Fusco pay Elias a visit. As they try to bargain with him, guns are eventually drawn. (To say that Elias refuses to go quietly is an understatement.) Before it can escalate, the Brotherhood arrives. The three attempt an escape, but are thwarted by Dominic and his crew.

Outside the institute, Root reveals a passageway hidden beneath snow. The two climb down to find a sophisticated fiber-optic setup, which they hack. But they are spooked when they decrypt a message from Samaritan. Despite the Machine’s warnings about the mission’s severity, Root plows forward to try to find Shaw.

The Brotherhood ties up our trio, with Reese taking a round on the shoulder (when Link commends the shooter, Reese tersely states, “He’s dead”). Dominic and Link debate about what to do with the captives. Dominic insists on keeping Elias alive for all the intel he holds—the most important being why two police detectives are going out of their way to protect the crime lord. Soon enough, Harper arrives to help with the interrogation.

Root and Finch finally enter the institute in the guise of a doctor and patient, respectively. Having successfully been “admitted,” Finch recruits another patient to cause a riot, allowing him to gain access to records that indicate a ninth floor, which remains dark. Root heads down and Finch learns that “a compact Persian sociopath” is being held in one of the rooms. Root finds that the room is none other than Greer’s (and Samaritan’s) command center.

As Shelly pleads to be set free, Control doesn’t bat an eye, and continues pummeling her with questions. She reveals a picture of Shelly seated at a park with Tyler, followed by one in a coffee shop, and ending with one of her at the White House. At that, Shelly responds, “You have no idea what’s coming for you, bitch.”

Dominic proposes a plan that would consolidate his crew with Elias’. Soon his interests turn to finding Finch’s whereabouts. Elias refuses to budge, so the methods turn physical. Dominic tortures Reese and Fusco, but they don’t bite. As Hunter plans to intervene, info from one of the canisters alluding to a mole prompts Dominic to change gears.

Root continues her search and watches as Shaw is led into a van outside. As Martine shows up and declares, “Time to finish what we started,” the two do just that. Two men grab Root, allowing Martine to sedate her.

Elias admits that he purposefully led the Brotherhood to himself, calling his situation “the last stand.” Dominic asks Elias to hail the mole in order for them to set up a surprise attack. Martine and Greer try to further contain Root with hopes of gaining access to the Machine, which they claim Shaw told them involves getting inside her head (literally). Having detained Finch, the crew cut Root open, but the girl still has fight left in her. She snaps Martine’s neck when she gets too close—a victim of what film critic Roger Ebert referred to as the “Fallacy of the Talking Killer.”

Elias reveals the mole in hopes that it will save his men. Dominic gets a call that gives him the informant’s identity of. Exchanging a few words with Link, Dominic raises a gun and fires several rounds, killing him. A smiling Elias reveals that the message was planted, and there is actually no rat in the Brotherhood.

Samaritan gives the Machine an ultimatum: Reveal its location, or Root and Finch die. Root begs the Machine not to succumb, and soon enough the power goes out, followed by a message from the Machine. The message states that despite failing to save Shaw, the same won’t happen for them. Before time runs out, the Machine sacrifices its location to save Root and Finch.

As Shelly alludes to a future where Samaritan rules (called “the correction”), the members of Team Machine appear in various states of distress. Control, having heard enough, shoots her dead. Root and Finch prepare one final attempt to save Shaw from Samaritan’s grasp. T-minus seven days until the season finale …

What an episode! It seems everything has been leading up to this penultimate episode of the season, where the plot lines involving Team Machine, Elias and the Brotherhood, Control, and the war between the Machine and Samaritan came together. While Root and Shaw are still separated, Root at least got some cold, hard revenge by offing Martine. We also saw the return of Control, who seems to have taken Reese and Finch’s advice to heart and has been doing some digging of her own.

This was a great episode that had one job—get us all excited about the finale. It did that job well.

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons